General Tso’s Chicken – Paleo Style

Well, ok, maybe save for that which is being served at this extremely small authentic Asian joint that I sometimes still like to go to.

And yeah, perhaps that other one, too.

But apart from these two, I swear. This General Tso’s Chicken simply can’t be beat!

The sauce is plenty sweet and hot and spicy and tangy, just as you’d expect it to be. It comes in very ample amount, too, which I don’t hate at all. It *could* be a tad stickier maybe, but still, I say it’s extremely satisfying as it is.

The pieces of chicken are VERY generous! You really get to sink your teeth into a lot of meat here, not mere balls of fried dough (as is too often the case, I find). The breading provides just what it takes of starch to create a nice, crispy and crunchy exterior, while the chicken remains super tender and juicy and moist and oh so tasty on the interior.

To that effect, I strongly recommend soaking your chicken breasts in a solution of salt and water for at least 12 to 24 hours prior to making this. You would not believe the difference that it makes.

Also, I think a lot has to be said for deep frying, as opposed to pan frying, or even baking. It does make the pieces of chicken extra nice and crispy on the exterior and super moist and juicy on the interior. I used to avoid it like the plague, but since I discovered that one can use coconut oil to get the job done, I’ve been a lot less hesitant to do so.

Plus, you really don’t need that much oil either. All it takes to make this recipe is one cup, which, after you’re done, you can strain and reuse for cooking afterwards.

Furthermore, when all was said and done, I remeasured my oil and was only short about 2 measly tablespoons. Not bad at all, especially when you consider the fact that coconut oil is actually a good source of healthy fat.

With that in mind, I get the feeling that I’ll be experimenting with Asian cooking a little bit more. What can I say, I still have a major soft spot for the stuff and if I can learn to make great paleo versions at home of all those classics I love so much, well then maybe I won’t get the urge to hit my favorite restaurants every so often.

Trust me, I now know that next time I get a craving for General Tso’s chicken, I’ll be able to satisfy that craving right in the comfort of my own home, without even making so much as a dent in my good eating record.

For this version TRULY delivers, without having me suffer any of the usual consequences…

The previous night, place your chicken to soak in a solution made of 2 cups of water and 2 teaspoons of salt. While this step is entirely optional, I strongly recommend it as it will make your chicken extra tender and tasty.

To make the sauce, combine all the ingredients in your food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a medium saucepan and bring to the boil over medium high heat. Stir until the sauce turns darker and has thickened, about 3-4 minutes. Kill the heat, cover and set aside.

Combine arrowroot flour, coconut flour and baking soda in a separate shallow dish. Use a whisk to make sure the ingredients are well combined.

Toss half the chicken into the foamy egg whites until well-coated, and then dredge the chicken in the flour mixture, making sure all sides are coated. Transfer chicken to a plate and repeat with remaining chicken.

Heat oil in a large wok until it registers about 340ºF. Fry the chicken in 2 or 3 batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes, turning pieces over halfway through cooking. Transfer cooked chicken to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain.

Re-warm the sauce over medium heat until bubbling. Add the chicken pieces and toss to coat.

Transfer to serving dish and garnish with sliced green onions and chili peppers.

*Strain coconut oil through a fine mesh sieve lined with a paper towel and save for cooking.

Ah, but coconut oil is actually good for you, Erin, so deep frying stuff in it can’t be bad! I’m still getting used to that concept, but I can’t say I hate it. It’s hard going from being fat phobic to including a generous dose of healthy fat to each and every one of your meals. I say deep frying is a pretty tasty way to get me there! 😉

Thanks for your kind words, I truly loved that dish too. I think it was one of my favorites to date. I hope you do give it a try and let me know what you think. I’m pretty sure this one will sit well with you! 🙂

Hi Sonia:
Is it possible to substitute the arrow root flour with brown rice flour or some other gf flour I have in the house? I do have tapioca and I think potato flour, maybe almond too. Hoping one might work!
Thanks for your reponse!
Celia

I made this last night and we loved it. I didn’t have rice vinegar, so I used balsamic(found on google it could be used as a sub). My sauce was very thick, It clumped up on the chicken instead of just coating it. What do you think I did wrong? I’m wondering if maybe I cooked it too long.

i have 5 kids, one on the way, and also have cooked professionally for years, so i’m comfortable w/ the theory behind certain foods. that leaves me w/ the -hmmmmmm- what would make this BETTER approach! and also, how can i do this with things in my house! b/c packing up 5 kids to drive 15 min to the nearest store just doesn’t cut it!!!

and pregnancy cravings mean that planning for next week is also unlikely to satisfy!

THANK YOU for taking the time to make good, measured out, step by step recipes for me to fiddle with. i send my clients and friends to websites like yours for recipes, b/c i never measure or write down and so can never replicate my foods.

I’m not sure what happened, but this was a disaster for me. The only thing I changed was using honey instead of date paste and regular soy sauce instead of aminos. I whizzed it up in my Nutribullet and when I heated it up, it turned into this weird, foamy, caramel-like mess. It tasted terrible. I ended up tossing it and using my old standby General Tso’s sauce recipe.

I made this recipe for one of my personal chef clients last week and they LOVED it. I followed it nearly to a T. The sauce got a little thick on me but I thinned it out with some water and it was yummy. Thanks for sharing!

Just tried this recipe and we LOVED LOVED LOVED it! The chicken coating is so much lighter and tastier than regular ol’ General Tso’s chicken. Highly recommend soaking the chicken beforehand. The chicken was so tender. I added a bit of Maple Syrup to the sauce and also, ate this with broccoli.

The chicken is good, I just feel like the sauce needs a little work. It’s yummy, but the almond butter surprisingly overwhelms it and it tastes more like a Thai peanut sauce. Wouldn’t say I get a general tso flavor.

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Welcome to my kitchen!

I’m Sonia, a former overweight, heavy drinker, chain smoker and food junkie now trying to find my own healthy balance, one meal at a time.
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